Industrial Building Allowance

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of industrial building allowances in encouraging the provision of new and refurbished small unit accommodation by the private sector.

The Department of Trade and Industry's preliminary study on the effect of the 100 per cent. industrial building allowance for small industrial premises published in 1982 found that the number of small workshops provided each year had probably tripled since the allowance was introduced and that, in the areas surveyed, the private sector share of the market rose from 39 per cent. to 79 per cent. of the units built. I am currently carrying out a more detailed review of the effect of the allowance and will publish the results on its completion.